TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT

Cláudia and Catarina Soares Pereira introduce us to their historic Portuguese home - and the family design business founded by their mother

- SILVIA CASTILLO

Crossing the medieval stone bridge that gives the town of Ponte de Lima its name, you sense history all around you. Situated at the topmost tip of Portugal, this is a stopping point on the centuries-old Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, and more than one devout monarch has passed this way on their journey north to visit the Spanish shrine. Where did they and their entourage find a welcome for the night? According to local tradition, in the Soares Pereira family's beautiful palazzo, the Torre de Pousada.

Centred on a stone tower that dates back to the 17th century and surrounded by vineyards, and chestnut and eucalyptus trees, it's an idyllic spot. And thanks to sisters Cláudia and Catarina Soares Pereira, the Torre is still as enchanting inside as it is from the outside.

Having inherited the property from their maternal grandparents, they've lavished it with design skills passed to them by their mother, Catarina Rosas, one of Portugal's foremost interior designers.

FAMILY VALUES

Telling us how they joined Catarina as partners in the studio she founded, Casa do Passadiço, the sisters reveal: "Working as a family has always been very natural for us.” As we step into their lovely home, the proof is all around.